RefWorks uses the phrases "Write-N-Cite" and "ProQuest for Word" interchangably for their Microsoft Word addon that allows you to insert references from your RefWorks library into your manuscript. Sometimes the tab you use to insert references is called "Proquest", other times it may be called "RefWorks".

Overview

On this guide we will cover:

Downloading Write-N-Cite

Installing Write-N-Cite

Using Write-N-Cite

Using RefWorks to format your papers without Write-N-Cite

Click here to view information about using older versions of Write-N-Cite.

How do I download Write-N-Cite?

RefWorks recommends uninstalling any previous versions of Write-N-Cite before installing the new version. For instructions on how to uninstall, click here.

Write-N-Cite can be downloaded from within your RefWorks account. Select Tools on the main menu, then choose Write-N-Cite.

A window will open allowing you to download Write-N-Cite.

It is important that you install the right version of Write-N-Cite for your computer.This is confusing, but to tell whether you have a 32bit or 64bit version of Microsoft Word:

For Office 2007 & 2010

Open Word, click on File, select Help, then in the right-hand column under About Microsoft Word it will display whether you have a 32bit or 64bit version of Word. Here is a screenshot of the process

How do I install Write-N-Cite?

Once you've downloaded the right version of Write-N-Cite for your computer, be sure to close out of all Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook, Excel, etc).

For new users of Write-N-Cite, you will need to install the MS Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office Runtime addon for Microsoft Word. You should download and install that package, which is available from Microsoft's website.

You may also need to install Java for Write-N-Cite to work properly. To check whether you already have Java install, go to Java's website and go through their steps. If you do not have an up to date version of Java, you can download it from Java's website.

Once the MS Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office Runtime addon is installed, open the Write-N-Cite application that you've downloaded.

You should be able to click through the prompts and successfully install Write-N-Cite.

Occasionally, the Write-N-Cite toolbar will not show up despite going through the proper steps or even stop showing up despite it working previously. If this happens, you may need to enable the Write-N-Cite plugin. To do so, click on File, then select Options like so:

Next click on the Add-Ins section on the left. If Write-N-Cite is working properly, it'll show up under the Active Application Add-ins section like so:

If Write-N-Cite shows up in the Inactive Application Add-ins section, then select Manage COM Add-ins and press Go. You will be able to place a check mark beside the Write-N-Cite Add-in and make Write-N-Cite active.

If Write-N-Cite shows up in the Disabled Application Add-ins section, then select Manage Disabled Add-ins and press Go. You will be able to enable Write-N-Cite.

You may need to restart Word or possibly even your entire computer for these changes to take effect.

If you encounter any other errors that prevent you from installing Write-N-Cite, use the email form on the left side of our AskALibrarian page to set up a time for us to sit down with you and your computer so we can diagnose your issue. Before doing that, be sure to

Try installing the right version of Write-N-Cite. If you have any question about the right version, see our details here.

How do I use Write-N-Cite?

Once you've successfully installed Write-N-Cite, it should show up in the Ribbon in Word under RefWorks or ProQuest.

The first thing you need to do is link your Write-N-Cite toolbar to your personal RefWorks account. To do so, click on Log In and paste in the login code from your RefWorks account into it.

If you've already closed out of your RefWorks account, do not worry, you can re-access it by logging in to your RefWorks account, clicking on Tools, then on Write-N-Cite, then it ought to display. It'll look like this, except not blurry:

Paste that code into the log in box that will pop up like so:

It may take a few minutes to sync your account, especially if your account has a lot of citations in it. But once that is done, you can use all of Write-N-Cite's features to properly format your paper.

Introducing the Write-N-Cite Toolbar in Word

The descriptions of the buttons on the PC version of Write-N-Cite are fairly self-explanatory, but briefly:

Insert Citation: Will insert a citation from your library.

Style: Will format your citations and bibliography according to whatever citation style that you need to use (e.g. APA, AMA, Uniform Requirements, etc). If you need to format a custom style, look at our brief outline here for suggestions or ask us for help.

Bibliography: Will insert, remove or format a bibliography from the citations that you've inserted into the document.

Sync My Database: Will sync your toolbar to include any changes you may've made to your references in your RefWorks account or will include any new references that you've added since you last synced your

Remove Field Codes: Will remove the link between the document and your RefWorks account. This is typically done before submitting a paper to colleagues for revision, before submitting a paper to a professor for a grade, or before submitting a paper to a journal for submission. This step is irreversible. You may want to save a copy of the paper with field codes (e.g. final_paper-field_codes.docx) and one without field codes (e.g. final_paper-no_field_codes.docx) so that you can easily revise the paper down the road. RefWorks will prompt a scary warning before you do this.

Open RefWorks: Will open your RefWorks account.

Preferences: Will allow you to do a variety of things like switch to another account (which is helpful if you have an account setup for a group project) or convert from a previous version of Write-N-Cite.

When you click on the Insert Citation button, a window will pop up which will allow you to search for citations in your personal RefWorks account. There are a few advanced features that need to be mentioned.

You can add multiple citations to a sentence using the Plus button in the citation window. It is highlighted in red below

When using a non-superscript citation style, you can use suffixes to denote page numbers if that is required. To do so, when inserting a citation, add a comma and the page number in the style of your choosing and Write-N-Cite will include that information.

Since the citation window is huge, you may run in to problems if you're using a computer with a smaller screen. If this is an issue for you, you can click in the preview area, click the Tab button on your keyboard 5 times and press Space or Enter. The order of options selected by pressing Tab are as follows: the selected reference, add another citation, remove the citation, override default ordering then OK.

What if a citation looks weird in my document?

When you are scanning through the citation window, you may notice some citations look a bit funky, like this:

Or perhaps you have inserted a citation, but it looks weird in your bibliography, like this:

In either case, the citation is poorly formatted in your personal library. In the Eisner example, it's a journal article with a URL in the reference. Since journal articles do not typically require URLs, this reference needs to be edited.

You can manually remove the "Retrieved from" part from the reference, but if you were to close out of the document and open it again, Write-N-Cite will try to reload the reference information from your account and revert back to the improper formatting.

This is why is it important to review the citations that you import as you import them. If something looks wrong in your RefWorks account, it will likewise look off when you later cite it. To remedy this, you need to edit the reference in your library. To follow these steps:

I'm having problems with my citations staying in superscript!

There is a known issue with Write-N-Cite when you switch from a superscript citation style, like AMA, to a non-superscript citation style. When this occurs, it will look something similar to this:

The easier way to remedy this issue is by selecting all the text in your document by pressing Ctrl and the A button (PC) or ⌘ (command) and the A button (Mac) then right click over the selected text and click on Font. Like so:

Now you can de-select the superscript option and click OK, like so:

Are there other ways to use RefWorks to cite papers?

There are three other ways to create bibliographies & in text citations from RefWorks:

Use theOne Line/Cite View to cite references. You can use the "One Line/Cite View" while logged into RefWorks on your web browser. You can access this option from the "Switch to:" menu at the top of your RefWorks library. This method is recommended if you are having trouble using Write-N-Cite.

UseRefWorksto format your paper. You can upload your paper with citations into RefWorks to format your paper online. This page also explains how to add footnotes and endnotes to your paper.

Write-N-Cite is giving me errors. What can I do?

If Write-N-Cite keeps giving you specific errors, check out HSL's Ask a Librarian Write-N-Cite directory. Here, you can find responses to errors that are most common to Write-N-Cite users. This is a great first place to look to see if you can get a quick and easy fix.

For Windows users and if you're getting an error message saying "without logging into RefWorks Write-N-Cite functions are disabled" , you can try deleting the Write-N-Cite log files in the Write-N-Cite or Proquest directory located in C:\Users\<Your User Name>\AppData\Local . They'll be named some variation on wnc.log.0 or pq.log.0. For Mac users, it'll be located in ~/Library/Application Support/RefWorks

How do I uninstall Write-N-Cite?

Windows 7 and 8

Click on your Start menu to access the Control Panel.

Double click "Programs and Features" or search for "Program" and Programs and Features will show up

Once the list has loaded, scroll down to Write-N-Cite and highlight it with your cursor.

Click the "Change/Remove" button and complete the uninstall wizard.

Restart your computer to make sure the change is complete.

Windows XP

Click on your Start menu to access the Control Panel.

Double click "Add/Remove Programs." or just search programs on newer versions of Word

Once the list has loaded, scroll down to Write-N-Cite and highlight it with your cursor.

Click the "Change/Remove" button and complete the uninstall wizard.

Restart your computer to make sure the change is complete.

I've tried all of these, but Write-N-Cite just won't work!

Don't dismay!

Contact HSL RefWorks Experts by sending an email through the Ask a Librarian service to set up a consultation.

If all else fails, you can contact RefWorks' Technical Support by emailing them at support@refworks-cos.com or calling them at (775) 327-4105. RefWorks support requests that you send the wnc.log.0 log file located in:Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\Local Settings\Application DataWindows 7 or 8: C:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local (for Windows 7 or 8)Mac: <User Name>/Library/Application Support/RefWorks

On newer Macs (10.7+), it may be necessary to show the Library directory because it is hidden in the Finder. Launch Terminal from Spotlight or Launchpad > Utilities, and enter the following command to show the directory: chflags nohidden ~/Library/

Or, you may select Command+Shift+G from the Mac desktop (or Finder > Go > Go to Folder) and type in ~/Library to temporarily access the Library directory in the Finder.